Blue Ridge blog

Day 1

What do cute shoes, a Fuji Finepix S1 Pro camera and Gloria Steinem have in common?

The answer:
Not much, but all three were a large part of my first day on the new job.
What did I learn?
1) Taking over someone's camera is sort of like wearing their underwear--it's way too personal....
2) Cute shoes sometimes equals bleeding raw skin, which is what I got when traveling across campus to
practice shooting Gloria Steinem with the Fuji Finepix S1 Pro.
Still, all went well on day 1. I was enveloped with nothing but the fuzziest of welcomes by all.
But tomorrow I'm packing my sneakers and D1H:)

I took this photo tonight while on the bridge crossing the Watauga River. I was too lazy to use a tripod so I propped my D1H on the concrete rail.

Cold air vs the Watauga River...

Frosty Morn
This was a slightly better morning for taking frosty shots. I slid across the low river bridge on Old Shull's Farm Road just as the sun was cutting a path between two ridges. The mist rising from the Watauga River was, well, impressive.

Too old to trick or treat:
Youngest was delighted to find a small assortment of Candy Barrel items on the kitchen table this morning. She does have plans to take some small goblins around and show them the finer art of Hillbilly Halloween-ing.

This morning

I went out looking this morning.
The baby bunnies were my mile markers as I travelled the gravel road. Every tenth of a mile or so I would spot one as it lept back into the tall grass. Is it bad that I was also hungry and every time I saw the rabbits I thought of food?
I annoyed the goldfinches as they ate seeds of summer. I wish those gorgeous guys would relax and enjoy the view as much as I do-- At least until I get some good images of them.
I forgot my boots so I crossed the creek in my running shoes just so I could pet a pony. I'll probably regret that decision this afternoon, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I passed a jogger. In my rearview mirror I saw he was wearing a trophy- "The Bear" tee shirt. He didn't hear me when I said, "Good for you, guy." But Harley gave me a strange look from the back seat.
I waved to a cowboy as he talked on his cell phone. I raised my camera and shot him. Fast draw he is, for he shot me a quick smile back.
That was my morning. Hope you enjoyed yours as well.

Running on the River Road...

This afternoon I bagged Valle Crucis Park and treated myself to a long run on the old Watauga River Rd. instead. If you take the River Rd and start where the pavement turns to gravel and go to the intersection of Long Ridge Rd, it measures exactly 2 miles. From Long Ridge to the old mill and spillway site adds another mile. From the beginning to Hubert Thomas Rd is approximately 6 miles total. Because the route follows the river it is not only flat, but cool and scenic. I saw two other joggers, a handful of bikers, a walker, many cows, several farm dogs and a dead snake as I eased on down the road. Nope, I didn't run with my camera in hand. I haven't figured how to do that one yet ( but I am working on it ). Instead, I drove my Jeep up and down the road using my trip meter to measure distances. This scene is typical of Watauga River Rd. No special effects here either. I stopped down my aperature to something like f22 to make the sunburst effect. I also used a bit of on-camera fill-flash to help fill in just a bit of shadows--but that is asking alot from to flash to compete with the sun.

Cooling off by the river

I've been spending many of my summer evenings walking around Valle Crucis Park. Sometimes I run into friends and we chat a bit. Other times I don't and instead opt for a side venture to the cool banks of the Watauga River. The river is the definitive greenspace. The simple pleasure of skipping river rocks while get my sneakers a little wet is more relaxing than any form of yoga.
Oh. I almost forgot. As long as my knees will allow me, I'm gonna do the Valle Crucis 7 Miler tomorrow morning. A dip in the river afterward already sounds like a must-do.